Broncos Rip Chiefs 38-3 in Season Finale, Chiefs Clinch 1st Pick

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Broncos Rip Chiefs 38-3 in Season Finale, Chiefs Clinch 1st Pick

DENVER — With a 38-3 blow out loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon, the Kansas City Chiefs clinched the first overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

With the win, the Broncos (13-3, 7-1 home) clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. The road to the Super Bowl will go through Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

The Chiefs (2-14, 1-7 away) finish the season tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-14) for the worst record in the NFL, but own a strength of schedule tiebreaker that allots them the first overall pick. It was apparent early on in this contest that the Chiefs were soon to be first up on the draft clock.

Quarterback Peyton Manning picked Kansas City’s secondary apart from jump street. The Broncos’ first possession resulted in a 69-yard touchdown drive. Kansas City’s first possession resulted in three and out, and it set the tone for a dreadful day on offense.

A brief momentum swing occurred late in the first quarter when Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers returned a fumble 64 yards to Denver’s 12 yard line. However, the Chiefs’ stagnant red zone offense came back to bite them again, as they were forced to settle for a 23-yd field goal by Ryan Succop.

Manning added a pair of TD passes to wide receiver Eric Decker late in the second quarter to give the Broncos a 21-3 lead at the half.

Denver opened up the second half with an 80-yd TD drive, capped with a 13-yd TD pass from Manning to WR Demaryius Thomas. The Broncos took a 35-3 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Chiefs gained a total of 119 yards on offense, while the Broncos racked up a total of 488 yards on offense. The Chiefs were plus one in the turnover department, but winning the TO battle made little difference in this contest.

This offseason will likely be one of the busiest in the history of the Chiefs’ franchise, with plenty of high profile jobs on the line, from general manager Scott Pioli to head coach Romeo Crennel.

For the first time in franchise history, the Chiefs hold the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. The Chiefs’ last No. 1 pick came in 1963 AFL Draft, when they selected Hall of Fame defensive tackle Buck Buchanan.